Recently IFA was flagged by YouTube for offering true information about the use of aborted fetal tissue in vaccines. We were required to take a class on “misinformation”! This excerpt from Dave Kubal’s new book will encourage you and guide your prayer for free speech.

Do you love the media? I’m guessing you’re shaking your head “no.”

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Well, you’re not alone. Research released in 2022 by polling company Gallup showed that only 16 percent of U.S. adults say they had “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in newspapers. For TV, the results were even worse: 11 percent. In fact, more than half of survey respondents said they had little or no confidence in TV news (while almost half said the same for newspapers).

Join others crying out to the Lord day and night.

Those aren’t strong favorability numbers. But then again, you might read them and not really feel shocked. After all, how often have major outlets told only one side of a story about Israel? Or how often have they sidelined or unflatteringly covered pro-life (“anti-abortion”) voices while seeming to repeat Planned Parenthood’s talking points? Or name your issue.

You don’t need to look far in print or online platforms to see that many reporters have personal opinions they’re eager to share. It can be difficult to discern where the fact-based reporting ends and the editorializing begins.

The unreliability that mars today’s news media is one reason why IFA was launched, and it also regularly populates our Headline Prayer feed. In addition to searching out helpful articles from around the web, we have a team of writers creating original content about timely matters that need to be understood and covered in prayer.

But we also have a heart for the media itself. After all, right after the freedoms of religion and speech in the Bill of Rights is a prohibition on abridging the freedom of the press. Why? Well, our Founders knew that a healthy republic relies on a strong and independent press to keep a scrutinizing eye on government officials—no matter their politics or how upstanding they may seem.

The Virginia Declaration of Rights, an inspiration for the Declaration of Independence, said “freedom of the press is one of the great bulwarks of liberty, and can never be restrained but by despotic governments.” If we want a truly flourishing land of liberty, we need a free and healthy press. That means we need to ensure the government keeps its hands off the media and we must demand that the press stop undermining itself with hubris and irresponsibility.

Let’s pause today not simply to disregard the media in disgust, but to actively pray for its rejuvenation as an agent of truth and trust.

PRAY

There are many good journalists who want to serve their communities well. Let’s pray for those in that important profession who are committed to humbly and confidently restoring trust in their news outlets.

Pray for the bias of major media outlets to be exposed and abandoned.

Pray that Americans would be able to discern facts from opinions in news shows and publications. And may we all openly yearn for a healthy, robust, trustworthy, and free press.

ENGAGE

Look for one reporter who regularly puts facts above opinion as he or she writes for your local newspaper or serves at your local news station. Send that reporter a note and express your thanks for how he or she is cherishing principles of a free and healthy press. Send a note, too, to that reporter’s superiors and recommend he or she be publicly honored and rewarded.

Share your prayers for the media and the press below.

David Kubal is President/CEO of Intercessors for America and author of We Declare: 31 Days of Intercession for America (PrayerShop Publishing 2024).  This post is adapted from Day 8. This devotional book is perfect for individuals or groups. Special pricing is available for bulk purchases — contact Prayer Shop Publishing. Photo Credit: Harold Mendoza on Unsplash.